Testimonials

Bullet proof Simplicity handles rocky country

AN 18m wide Simplicity Allrounder bar is proving its worth in trying country on a Yorke Peninsula grain growing property in South Australia.

The robust bar is doing its second year of planting for the Slade family as part of their 3200ha cropping program near Yorketown. Andrew Slade said the Simplicity bar, which features hydraulic tynes, has held together remarkably well despite some testing ground conditions which includes limestone ridges. “For a seeder to make it through a season here unscathed is pretty rare,” Andrew said. “But we’ve had a great run with the Simplicity. We are always working around rocks and ridges in this country and the bar has performed very well.”
Slade Farming is run by Andrew and his brother Martin and their father Richard. The cropping program includes wheat, lentils, canola, beans and barley and the country varies from heavy, red soils to deep non-wetting sands with plenty of limestone reefs and rocks.
“With the rocky nature of our farm, build quality and strength were the main features we were looking for in a new bar,” Andrew said.

Their previous bar was a spring tyne design and as part of their research to buy a new machine, the Slades spoke to Simplicity owners from Western Australia and other states. “We knew the bar needed to be built like a brick sh*thouse,” Andrew said. “And we were also looking for a floating hitch to help with contour following.” After the sowing was done last year with the Allrounder 308 bar, set up on 10-inch row spacings, Andrew was impressed. “We have been very happy with it. It’s really paid off. It’s a slightly more expensive bar but the heavy build quality has been fantastic.” Being able to control the downforce on the hydraulic tynes on-the-go is another plus for Andrew. “The country is quite varied so being able to adjust the downforce on the tynes is a good feature and very easy to adjust. It’s done from in the tractor cab and the gauge is easy to see.
“The large flotation tyres also do a great job.”

The Simplicity Allrounder 308 bar was purchased through G& J East at Kadina. The 18m bar has front castering wheels and a floating hitch and is run as a tow-between set up with the seeding bins and hoppers trailed behind the bar. Tynes are fitted with a 75mm, paired-row boot.

A spherical bearing on the top and bottom of the hydraulic ram on each tyne means side loads are not transferred to the shaft seals or cylinder barrel. The result is a significant increase in seal life and general long term wear. Each tyne’s break out (45kg-340kg) is adjustable “on-the-go” and has built in clever geometry. During breakout, the resistance force is initially increased, but as the tyne continues to be pushed back (if hitting a large obstacle for example) the tyne pressure then continually reduces, allowing for a “stump-jump” action. Once the obstacle is cleared the tyne will then return to its working position at a controlled speed using oil flow as the dampener. The result not only reduces damage to the shank and point, but the whole bar frame is not fatigued by heavy jarring recoils.

The 308’s main frame is made of 100mm x 100mm x 9mm thick box steel for maximum strength. Row widths can be 200mm, 250mm, 300mm or 330mm. Tynes weigh 29.6kg and an open design with five bars on the frame helps trash flow. Andrew said trash flow has been good and the 18m bar is easy to fold. “The phasing rams and fold sequence is smooth and simple. It works really well. We had a good strike of the crop last season too, so yeah, it’s done a bloody good job to date.”
Simplicity seeding bars and carts are proudly made in Dalby, Queensland and have a reputation for exceptional build quality and ease of use.